An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/3
Fandom: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Ivy & Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Zack, Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Ivy & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Zack, Ivy & Zack (Carmen Sandiego)
Characters: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Player (Carmen Sandiego 2019), Ivy (Carmen Sandiego), Zack (Carmen Sandiego)
Additional Tags: Whumptober 2021, Altno 15 - Anxiety, Day 30 - Ghosts, Day 10 - Hospital, three-shot, Post-Canon, Team as Family, Team Feels, Team Red, spooky forest, based on a real place, Anxiety Attacks, Sick!Carmen, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone is lowkey dealing with Dark!Carmen trauma, Reunion, Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Series: Part 10 of Sakarrie's Whumptober 2021
Summary:
After their plane malfunctions on the way to an ACME conference, Carmen, Ivy, and Zack find themselves stranded in a creepy forest somewhere in Europe. With Player unable to locate them, they're on their own to get out. Carmen doesn't mind, though. It feels nice to be back in the field with the siblings again. But as they start exhibiting unexplainable symptoms, it becomes clear this isn't the team bonding trip she'd hoped for.
Written for Whumptober's prompts, Anxiety, Ghosts, and Hospital!
Toriel is still laughing as Asgore carries her into the house, only setting her down once he's about to run into the kitchen counter. "Asgore," she giggles in mock complaint.
"Yes, Toriel?" he rumbles, grinning.
She doesn't actually reply, settling for kissing him. "I love you," she murmurs after pulling away.
"I love you too. I still cannot believe you agreed to this a second time," he chuckles, genuinely in awe.
"You are a changed man. I do not see how I could not," she smiles. "When you were carrying me, I was reminded me of the first time, after the ceremony. Do you remember?"
He laughs. "I remember nearly running into the wall, if that is what you are saying."
She laughs too. "We were so happy. You swept me off my feet and practically ran all the way to the house."
"I could not wait to share it as husband and wife," he agrees, giving her another quick kiss.
Submission for @whumptober2019 day 4, Human Shield! Also included are the alternate prompts 13 (Breathless) and 15 (Field Medicine) featuring Nero/Kyrie.
Warnings for gore and descriptions of injury.
Word count - 748
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Nero’s scaled hand held hers in an iron grip, tugging her through the maze of Fortuna’s streets. He moved so quickly she could barely breathe, gasping for air at every turn. There was no other option, not with the horde slaying without discrimination on every side.
“Faster, Kyrie! Come on!”
Terrified eyes met his determined blue and she managed a nod, forcing her legs to pump with yet more speed. They were approaching fifth street, the edge of downtown. Only a few more blocks, she could make it.
She had to.
Chattering proboscis rattled through the smoke-laden air and the first licking flames began their consumption of a nearby shop. Glass littered the courtyard and car alarms echoed against the stone buildings. The screams of those unfortunate enough to be caught had thankfully grown less frequent as they fled the epicenter of the attack.
It was a Tuesday.
A sudden thrumming overhead broke her scattered thoughts as a flock of winged demons descended from on high. The glow of Nero’s arm brightened as they approached and he cursed as they formed a circle around them; a trap. They hissed and Kyrie smelled the acrid tang of acid as they prepared to attack with hive-like unity.
Nero tackled her to the ground in a painfully rushed motion. Cobblestone pressed against her spine as he laid himself over her, protecting her with his own flesh as the acid spewed forth from a dozen grotesque mouths. He howled in agony but didn’t budge, taking every drop.
“Nero!” she cried, tears sliding down her temples.
His sizzling flesh smelled like charred brisket. He was trembling over her, jaw tight enough to crack his molars. This couldn’t be happening; she couldn’t accept it. No way. He was too strong to die like this, facedown in a street.
Not like this! Please, not like this!
The rain of acid stopped, the demons capacity mercifully short. An enraged growl rumbled through the chest above her and blue eyes flashed in fury.
“Stay down,” he commanded.
Kyrie closed her eyes as the ring of steel and the rustle of leather signaled his attack. A roar of defiance mixed with screeches of pain; a sickening wet crunch followed quickly by the acrid stench of demon blood. She felt something wet and warm puddle around her shoulder and flinched.
More clicks and clangs, a series of sharp squelches. Nero’s snarls.
And then, silence.
She didn’t dare breathe, in case it somehow broke the spell. A click of metal on stone and heavy panting were the only things she hard aside from a soft brush of wind.
“Kyrie… it’s okay.”
Dark eyelashes damp with terror lifted from her cheekbones as she opened her eyes, her wide pupils shooting straight to his face. Blood dotted his forehead, streaks of it in his pale hair as he kneeled, resting his weight on Red Queen.
She was by his side in an instant. His back was a mess of melted leather and bubbling flesh, burns covering his shoulder blades. Her heart clenched at the sight.
He must be in so much pain.
Muscles in her throat bobbed as she swallowed her own fear and steeled her frayed nerves. Delicate fingers gathered the hem of her shirt and tugged, adrenaline-fueled strength allowing her to rip the fabric with ease. Portions were soaked in demonic gristle, but it would do for now.
“Here, let me…”
There wasn’t much time; the area was too dangerous to linger long. She dabbed at the remaining acid and cringed when Nero flinched away from her touch. Her free hand went to his shoulder for a soft squeeze and he managed a pained smile. It was enough to ease the tightness in her chest.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
She hummed and refocused on his back, intent on doing everything in her power to help ease his pain. After what he’d endured, he needed it. How he kept his body from in place, shielding her from the attack…
He would have died for me.
It broke her heart. To imagine a life without Nero in it made her tremble. They weren’t even safe yet; it could still happen. She might still lose him.
“We should keep moving,” she said. “Can you keep going?”
Resolve tightened his features and he met her eyes with flames dancing in his own. The glow of his scaled arm cast strange shadows over his face as he nodded, grunting as he rose to his feet.
“Stop asking me that.” It took every ounce of self-control for his grip on his coffee mug to not turn shattering. “I'm going back to work today. The new facility is much safer-your words. My patients need someone to oversee their care, and that someone is me. There's no reason for me not to go back today.”
“I can think of one.”
“And that is?”
“You not being ready. No one would be mad or blame you for not coming back day one. There are plenty of other people that can handle it for now. They brought in tons of new people to help.”
“Keep talking like that and I'm going to think they don't need me anymore.”
“They want you to be there, but they don't need you to be there. They need you to take care of yourself and come back when you're ready.”
“How am I supposed to know if I'm ready without trying?” The quick shift of Chris's face from determined concern to understanding gave Leon the confidence to press on. “I appreciate that you're worried about me. I won't lie to you. I'm nervous. I don't know what's going to happen when I get there. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it, but I have to try. This is my job. I love my job. Trust me to know my limits.”
“I trust you. Will you at least let me drop you off just in case you're not ready and you need someone to drive you home?”
“Are you going to drive me back in four hours?”
For a moment, Chris went quiet as he pulled out his phone to do something that got a response almost instantaneously. “Yes, I will.”
“Did you ask Jill to cover for you?”
“No.”
“Chris-”
“I didn't!” His hands came up in surrender with a little smile playing along his lips. “All I did was mention it’s your first day back. She told me to do what I need to do.”
“You're not sitting around for four hours waiting for me to finish my shift. That's not happening.”
“No, but I will drop you off and stay for a bit to make sure you're good, then I'll get some work done before I need to take you back home. Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds like you've already made up your mind.”
Before Leon could tighten his grip, Chris plucked the mug from his fingers and set it aside so he could take both of Leon's hands in his. “It's your decision, Leon. All I want to do is help. If doing that won't help or it will make it worse, you can tell me to fuck off and steal my Jeep for all I care. Whatever will make this easiest on you. That's all I want.”
“I don't know what will. I barely slept last night because I was so anxious about today. This is what I love. I know it is. I've done it for years and none of you assholes have ever made me regret it, but I'm scared I won't be able to do it. I'm worried I'll see blood again and freak out. I can't do my job if I can't handle blood. I can't do my job if I can't handle any of the things I saw that day. I can't do my job if I can't give my patients what they need.”
“After the mansion, I was terrified of dogs for months. Even a playful bark triggered me. I loved dogs. I always wanted one, then I couldn't look at them without searching for the nearest exit. It took a while, but I moved passed that. My brain figured out how to separate the zombie dogs from the living ones. They don't scare me anymore.”
“Do you still want one?”
“Yeah, but I don't exactly have the stability for a pet.”
“My, uh, therapist mentioned something she thought might help, but I wasn't sure...” His fingers anxiously gripped and released Chris's a few times. “She thought getting an emotional support dog might help, especially since you'll have to start going on missions again and it happened in my place of work where I spend a lot of time. She even checked to make sure they would be okay with it.”
“Do you not like dogs?”
“No, I like them. I've seen the soldiers that come in with dog bites and I wasn't sure how you would feel about it. I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable position after everything you've done for me. I-”
“Hey, hey. Let's calm it down.” The hands holding his released in favor of wrapping Leon in a warm hug. “I get it. I do. How about we agree to talk to each other about things our therapist suggest for our mental health? Even if a dog wouldn't work because of my experiences, I'm sure we could have asked about other animal options.”
“You're right. I'm sorry.”
“No apologies. You didn't do anything wrong. When is your next appointment?”
“Tomorrow, but she said I could drop by today if I need to.”
“Then if you feel like talking to her about this can't wait until tomorrow, we'll go today. It's up to you.”
“Thank you, Chris.”
“You're welcome.”
After giving Chris a tight squeeze, Leon pulled back to chug his coffee and grab what he needed for the day. “You promised to take me to work. We're leaving now or I'll be late.”
“Yes, sir. I need to grab my bag, then I'll meet you in the car.”
“Hurry up. I'm not going to be late.”
“I'm going. I'm going.”
With the keys in hand, Leon took a deep breath, then went to take his normal spot in the passenger seat. It wasn't until Chris entered the Jeep that he felt his heart start to beat a little faster, his insides twist and his hands shook. There wasn't a moment of hesitation to latch onto the hand Chris held out to him after backing out of the driveway. He kept them firmly locked together the entire drive, so he had something to focus on that wasn't the nerves and anxiety and panic. Even when Chris pulled into a parking space, Leon's hand refused to release Chris's hand.
“I'm not even five minutes away now.”
“I know.”
“You've seen all the extra security measures and know what to expect.”
“I know.”
“You're safe here.”
“I know.” Slowly, Leon let go of his grip on Chris, unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door. “Maybe, you can walk me in.”
“I can do that.”
“Then you'll wait for a little bit?”
“As long as you need.”
“Fifteen.”
“Done.”
“And you'll pick me up as soon as my shift is over?”
“I'll be here fifteen minutes early.”
“You get out first.”
Chris gave his most reassuring smile before getting out and coming to Leon's side with a hand extended to offer Leon help out. “Ready?”
“On a scale of one to ten, how embarrassed would you be if someone saw you holding my hand?”
“I hold your hand all the time.”
“Not at work. You're a captain.”
“Captains are still allowed to hold hands.”
“Right.” Tentatively, he accepted the help out, then locked Chris's hand in a death grip that didn't even pull a flinch from Chris. “I can do this.”
“And if you can't?”
“You take me to my therapist, I cry for four hours, and maybe get a dog?”
“That's... not what I was going for, but yes. I will do whatever you need. You don't have to stay. You don't even have to stay all four hours. If you get a couple in and it's too much, call me and I'll come get you. Okay?”
“Okay. Promise not to let go of my hand until I'm ready.”
